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/I REVERIE 



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CLIZflBETH FRY 

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A Reverie of the Early Dawn. 

It was in the Land of Souls, not of the departed, but of 
fresh, untried souls that had never inhabited a human 
body, and were waitiu"^ until the Master should see fit to 
embody them and send them to Earth for their allotted 
time. 

Now, it is not to be supposed that all souls are alike, 
for after all, it is the soul, or the lack of it, in men that 
makes I hem differ one from another; 

So discontent arose in one of the souls and Animus thus 
conversed with Solvator : 

" I am weary of this life, weary of this vast freedom, 
this unconfined and undefined existence. Century after 
century has passed and myriads of souls have been em- 
bodied and sent to earth, but I am still left behind. I am 
longing to leave this vague, shadowy land and take up my 
dwelling within some beautiful and symmetrical human 
body. I long to shine through the clear eyes of some 
noble woman or glorious man, to inspire him with noble 
thoughts, words and deeds ; and after the time allotted by 
the Master, to go to my eternal rest in the home of De- 
parted Souls." 

Said Solvator : " It would be better for thee, friend Ani- 
mus, to put aside such thoughts and abide the Master's time. 
Be content with thy lot, for thou hast been favored of the 
Master in many things, and lie knows what is best for 
thee." 

"So sayest thou always, Solvator! In \ain ha\e I tried 
to heed thy counsel, but my desire will not be quelled.'' 

"Animus, I have a suggestion for thee! Suppose thou 



shouldst go unto the Master and ask of Him to allow thee, 
spirit as thou art, to visit the fair earth you so long to in- 
habit in the flesh, that life may be seen of thee in all its 
vicissitudes." 

"I thank thee, Solvator ; that will I do." 

The Master granted his wish and guided him down to 
earth, saying : 

" When thou art ready to return, my child, I will come 
for thee." 

Left alone. Animus made his way, unseen, into a mag- 
nificent dwelling where there was much rejoicing over the 
birth of a son and heir. There lay the babe in an elegant 
cradle, and Animus drew near and thus soliloquized : 

" Thou art fair, little one, and pleasing to look upon, 
but thou art the embodiment of weakness and helpless- 
ness. Thou canst not raise thy head from off thy pillow, 
and, though thou hast a soul, it is slumbering within thee. 
The power of speech is not thine and thou art wholly at 
the mercy of thine elders, and wilt be for many a day. 
What is more, thou mayst die in thine infancy without 
ever having an opportunity to make known thy capabilities 
or enrich the world with thy talents Thy body seemeth 
very small for a home for such as I, after the vastness of 
my existence in the Land of Souls. I should feel cramped, 
were I imprisoned within thee, and should grow restless 
waiting for thy body to grow until it was in proportion 
with thy soul. I am glad that I have seen thee, and now 
I will go elsewhere." 

His next visit was made to a room whose walls were 
lined with books ; a leather lounge, some chairs, and an 
oak desk strewn with manuscript constituted its furniture. 



Seated at the desk was a tall, gaunt nuiii with lonj;-, straij^ht, 
black hair and a most strikin<^ face. His deep-set gray 
eyes had, at times, an expression of the most intense self- 
loathing. Animus entered the room in time to hear liini 
thus exclaim : "Oh, miserable weak creature that I am ! 
I held a jDOsition of trust and honor. I was a power in the 
land, and wise men and women were swayed by the strength 
of my eloquence. I combined with unusual mental gifts 
great learning, a keen insight into human nature, and an 
almost unequaled oratorical ability. I could stand before 
an assembled audience; fix my eyes upon them, and they 
were mine for the time. I could draw tears from their eyes; 
could bring them from tears to laughter ; Ironi laughter to 
awe and reverence, and infuse into tlieni all the emotions 
common to the human race. I had the respect, homage, 
admiration and love of all ; but the spell is broken. Look 
at me now ! Poor, forsaken, despised by many, and even 
my genius overlooked because of my sin. I was tempted 
and I fell ! I, the man who could so control multitudes, 
failed to control myself. Oh, the ghost. Remorse! By 
one moment's gratification of a carnal desire, I have lost 
not only my worldly position, but even my hope of heaven." 

Animus was touched bv the words and aspect of the man 
and silently withdrew, thinking that he would plead with 
the Master for this poor, sin-sick soul. He moved slowly 
along, wondering if there was no happiness in the world, 
and he was about to signify his desire to return home when 
he came upon a beautiful picture. 

On the wide verandah of a vine-covered cottage, a beau- 
tiful girl, just budding into womanhood, was half reclining 
in a large easy-chair. The graceful lines of her figure 



were half revealed, half concealed by a clinging white 
gown, her chestnut hair was softly coiled about a shapely 
head, her broad, low brow indicated thought, and her large 
blue eyes sparkled with intelligence. She sang merrily in 
a clear, sweet voice, as she busily plied her needle. "Oh, 
I should like to have my home in such a body as this ! 
Here is youth, beauty, intelligence, purity and happiness," 
quoth Animus. The maiden raised her eyes, folded up 
her work, and said : "It is finished, and now I can go out 
and enjoy this lovely spring morning. This is a beautiful 
world and 1 am very happy. I have a fair face and a sound 
mind, my educational advantages have been unusually good, 
my parents are kind and loving, my home is comfortable 
and pleasant, and considering the misery there is in the 
world, my cross is very light." So saying, she raised a 
pair of crutches and slowly, painfully made her way down 
the steps and into the sunlit yard. "Crippled! That fair 
girl crippled ! Why, it seems as if there must be some- 
thing unpleasant in all lives ; but that sweet girl, with the 
heavy cross she has to bear, is content with her lot and 
counts it nothing beside her many blessings. Discontent, 
thou monster, away ! I will not harbor thee an instant 
longer. Father, I am ready to return home and unques- 
tioningly await the unfolding of Thy plans ! Do with me 
as Thou thinkest best. I will henceforth live in the pres- 
ent, leaving the future to Thee." 

The Master came and led the Avanderer home. He found 
Solvator, his faithful friend, awaiting him with loving greet- 
ing, and a sense of peace stole o'er the wayward Animus 
as he returned to his accustomed place in the Land of 
Souls. 



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